Dear You, LEAN IN...a letter of CHARITY.

Dear You, 

LEAN IN. 

'The past is no longer yours; the future is not yet in your power. You have only the present wherein to do good.' St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

When I was in the fourth grade, my heart ached. I had drove to the drug store with my mom and noticed a man sitting all alone on the curb. He looked defeated. His clothes looked old and worn. His hands were covered in dirt. He held a sign asking for help. And for me, he was my first real encounter with homelessness. 

That year for an art submission, I drew a picture of this man. And all my life that encounter has remained with me. My heart ached because I saw in that man a struggle, a struggle I felt so unable to help. 

To this day, I see these people. Maybe the homeless, maybe the lonely, and maybe the scared. And you see the double edged sword is this, I see them, but my heart hurts as I walk away so distracted by my life that I do not have time, or talent, or treasure to change their situation. 

We declared it the summer of leaning in. What that meant, maybe none of us really knew. But in every moment God has kept reminding me to lean in. I have felt myself leaning in spiritually, mentally, and physically. 

So where does all this meet? The leaning in and the heart ache? The words of the song so evidently become such a prayer in my heart. "Break my heart for what breaks yours." 

There's that saying, when you know better, you do better. And as God opens my eyes, and reveals to me more of His heart, the truth is my heart starts to long for more. My heart longs to know more, do more, be more, and love more. 

It is such a vulnerable place to be, in the heart of Christ. To love like Him requires losing yourself. It means opening your eyes and truly seeing others. And sometimes that's seeing things it hurts to see. Sometimes that means seeing people you never saw before. And sometimes those people are without a doubt God's greatest gifts to you. 

I think if I could sum up what leaning in really means, if I could capture what this summer has meant for me in my faith journey or how God has reminded me of the way He loves, I would say this, let people have your heart. 

I'm the type of girl who takes things personal. And many times that stinks. I get sad because people let me down. And I feel bad because I do not see myself doing enough to change the world. But at the end of the day, life is personal. I need people, people need me. And as much as it can break my heart, every time it's worth it.  At the end of the day, the journey is not about me anyways, it is about God. It is about being God to the world. It is about being God to people. 

When you let your heart break a little, you feel. And when I feel, I want to respond with action. However, sometimes the only response you need is to be. To be you. To be present. To be love. 

My family and I river rafted this summer. The guide yelled one command to us continuously, "Lean in". Every time our boat approached a wave in the water or a huge rock, we had to lean in to the middle of the boat. Terrified, I leaned in as quickly as I could, and stayed safe in the center of the boat. 

On the river, I leaned in because I was scared of what might happen if I didn't. I think, in life it is so much the same but so different at the same time. I lean in because I am afraid of what I might miss if I do not, but I also am terrified to lean in, because when I do, my heart goes with me. But I lean in just the same, because when you ask God to break your heart for what breaks His, you discover two things, how much your heart can break and how much your heart has to give. 

Charity is not always a physical gift. Sometimes it is so much more simple than that. Sometimes it's just being open as a human being. It is the moment of letting one human heart meet another's. We all have something to give within ourselves. But until we are willing to lean in, we are closing our eyes to a world that needs our love. 

There are things God allows your eyes to see, and places where He wants you to lean in a little more and maybe that is terrifying, but I would hate for you to fall into the river and miss the ride in the boat, just because you were too distracted, or scared, or self centered to follow His simple command. There's no time like the present, LEAN IN. 

Love and prayers, 

Danielle